Contra 4

Pros • Final two stages are only accessible on harder difficulties • Easy mode acts as a walkthrough/tutorial, getting new players used to the game • Good treasure chest of bonus features for fans • Well done third-person on-rails sequences • Grappling hook helps improve level designs • It's classic Contra	Cons • Both players need a copy of the game to play co-op • Doesn't take full advantage of DS hardware • Absence of the epic dual gun-toting stance from Contra 3
Bottom Line Those with weak stomachs and/or heart problems have been warned. Casual gamers, stay far away from this one, while you hardcore gamers should strap on your combat boots and get excited: games are hard again.

"Gamers of yore will feel right at home with this one. Contra 4 is a must-have for anyone looking for a challenge, or any fans of the original game. Newcomers and casual gamers: play at your own risk."

Nathaniel's Score: 9.0

Once upon a time, games weren't meant to be completed, and tutorials were left to the pages of the games manual. Enter Contra. Prepare to die. And die. And die. Over, and over again. Contra blasts its way back onto the screen, this time on Nintendo's DS. For what it is, Contra 4 is almost perfect. It isn't supposed to be new or innovative, it's supposed to bring back the old with a shiny new coat of paint. It does this, and does it very well.

Not being able to move backwards, one-shot deaths, very limited lives, are all staples of the Contra series. They all return, and in full force. These features (yes, not being able to move backwards these days is a feature), are all tuned expertly so that the average Contra player is always on the very edge of their seat, narrowly escaping a hail of gunfire from all directions, then punishing those who fired the shots. It's these moments that make the Contra series great, and they are faithfully recreated in Contra 4.

Take note that I said the average CONTRA player. This game is not for everyone. In fact, it's really only for a select few of elite players. This is pointed out by the fact that completing the game on the easy difficulty setting doesn't allow you to access the final two levels of the game. These are only reserved for the most dedicated of players, rewarding those with great patience and skill.

The core game design is what you would come to expect: move from point A to point B, killing everything in your path. At the end of your journey, an epic boss fight will ensue, in which staying in the same place for more than two seconds will result in a Game Over very quickly. Two-player mode is where it's at, as usual. Making it multi-card (both players need a copy of the game), kills the chances for some players to experience this mode, however.

To help you combat the onslaught of aliens, the limited variety of weapons, as usual, are varied enough to make choosing one over another an important decision. Speaking of the onslaught of enemies, why are there bad guys that run at you, and kill you by just walking into you? I mean, they aren't even armed. At the very least, put a rifle in their hand, like the basic enemy in Contra 3, or some sort of hand-to-hand weapon so we could assume they're rifle-butting us when they touch us and we die.

The biggest drawback Contra 4 has is a hardware one. The game does not take into account the physical solid space (the hinge) between the two DS screens. As a result, there is gameplay taking place there, but the player cannot see what enemies or bullets are there. This also makes jumping onto platforms a bit of a hassle as well. Thankfully this is only really an issue in vertical-scrolling levels, which are few and far between.

Aside from vertical panning, another different kind of moment that gamers will come across occasionally is the third-person "on-rails" view. When the gameplay shifts from side-scroller to this view, the controls translate seamlessly. I almost preferred these sequences to the core game itself, it was so well done.

With all of this new retail space of two screens, it would have been nice to see a new feature, even if in its own mode, use the touch screen or both screens in a different way. The new grappling hook does use the screen space somewhat, and is a welcome addition, but could have been done in a standard Contra game. There is also no reason why the player's score couldn't be displayed on one of the two screens in-game.

Presentation gets its job done with very good sprites, backgrounds, and MIDI music, though better animations would have been nice. Rounding out the presentation is the game's interface, which is very plain, but has humorous text explaining everything (specifically the different difficulty settings).

Beating the game unlocks various features. Bonus content goes a great job of fan service, giving players access to the original Contra, comic books, and an interview to name a few items.

The Challenge mode is a great idea and addition. It takes things like finite ammo, and puts them where they belong: in their own mode. These minor tweaks in gameplay are different enough to warrant a play through in challenge mode (which needs to be unlocked), but are so critically different that had they been implemented into the main Contra experience, it would have ruined the retro feel of the game.

Gamers of yore will feel right at home with this one. Contra 4 is a must-have for anyone looking for a challenge, or any fans of the original game. Newcomers and casual gamers: play at your own risk. And don't forget, make sure you get your power-ups before moving forward: there's no turning back.

Info & Screenshots